Search results for """ "Mastering Mayhem""

Book SynopsisGetting--and staying--organized is a challenge in and of itself. Add motherhood to the mix, and you''ve got a whole new dimension of difficulty. So how does a busy mom stay on top of the daily chaos that children inevitably bring along with them?No matter what your situation is, Kristi Clover''s home organization systems will work for you. Her foundational rules are highly adaptable and will help you make your home more efficient no matter where you live or how many kids you have (and how messy they are). She helps you prioritize, break down big jobs, declutter, develop age-appropriate chores for your kids, tackle the endless piles of laundry, and so much more. If you long to have a functional and fabulous home for your family and you''re tired of feeling overwhelmed by all the work, this life-changing book is for you!

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Book SynopsisA Sunday Times Book of the Year''Riveting, clear-sighted and exceptionally articulate... Her literary and psychoanalytic fluency gives the book an impact that feels arrestingly honest... Heartbreaking'' Daily Telegraph ''An unsparing account of a family destroyed by drugs. Unique and haunting'' Sunday Times''What gives this book its astonishing power is not the guilt, but the intelligence and literary skill'' Guardian''I write, knowing that writing at all may be seen as a betrayal of family; a shaming, exploitative act. Anyone reading this who thinks so, please know that I thought it before you''For years Sigrid Rausing watched helplessly as her brother Hans and his wife Eva succumbed to drug addiction. It afflicted a terrible toll on their family, culminating in Eva''s tragic early death. As this death led to inquest and media circus, the world looked on in horror, bTrade ReviewFierce, lyrical, and lucid memoir -- Siri HustvedtA profoundly articulate and harrowing memoir of a family grappling with addiction... I was impressed and moved -- A. M. HomesA short, intense and moving memoir... a poignant and at times harrowing account that testifies to the resilience of the human spirit * Tatler *Powerful and spare... her elisions and prevarications have a striking effect * The Observer *Such a unique and haunting story to tell * The Sunday Times *What gives this book its astonishing power is not the guilt, but the intelligence and literary skill. Beautifully structured... Rausing sets the scene with painterly delicacy and then steps back to analyse the implications of what she has revealed * The Guardian *A deeply felt memorial to a lost brother...a finely written memoir * Literary Review *Riveting, clear-sighted and exceptionally articulate...heartbreaking...her literary and psychoanalytic fluency gives the book an impact that feels arrestingly honest * Daily Telegraph *Touched by its bravery, sincerity and the frequent beauty of the writing * The Times *In this slim, stoic memoir... Rausing thoughtfully, painstakingly, works a deep groove into the stubborn surface of certain bedevilling questions: "How do you write about addiction?"... I nodded and sometimes cried. I wanted to invite the author over for tea * The Millions *Publisher's description. A courageous and clear-sighted memoir about addiction and its terrible repercussions within a family. In 2012, Hans Rausing, heir to the vast Tetrapak fortune, was pulled over by the police while driving erratically across Wandsworth Bridge. What those police officers eventually found would shock the world... * Penguin *

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Book SynopsisJacqui Jackson has seven children. Luke (author of Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome) has Asperger Syndrome, Joe has ADHD, and Ben has autism. Life is anything but straightforward, but the chaos of the Jacksons' lives is threaded through with humor and common sense. Full of anecdotes and lively thinking, the book explains vividly what it is like to parent young people with such a range of conditions, and provides a wealth of helpful and creative advice for other parents and carers. Anyone who has wondered what life in such a family might be like will be fascinated.Trade Review;Jacqui has much to share with her readers, and there is plenty that is familiar, and lots of good, common sense advice. It is a book that parents of children with ASD will feel comfortable with, as it is not written by a "professional", but someone who lives the life, with its up and downs.' -- SpeachJacqui Jackson is the inspirational parent of seven children, including four boys, together combining autism, Asperger Syndrome, AD/HD, dyspraxia and dyslexia. I feel sure that there will be something for everyone somewhere in this book. An eclectic book, just as you would expect, jumping from anecdote, to thoughts about the causes of autism, to advice about how to manage a trip to Disneyland, But compelling reading nevertheless. -- Infant & Child DevelopmentMulticoloured Mayhem is also a very well researched book. You will find comprehensive yet easy to understand definitions of most neuro-developmental difficulties as well as short descriptions of various remedial methods. It lists diagnostic criterias and useful websites, recommended reading and well-informed advice. -- Young Minds MagazineOstensibly written to give advice about how to approach professionals, find relevant forms of help, and understand and cope with the differing needs of children with AS, what [Jacqui] also conveys is optimism and joy. The book is packed with helpful advice, although it also works as the readable story of an unusual and interesting family. -- Human Givens JournalSocial care staff, and those working in child and adolescent mental health services should find this insightful account of different children, the family, and parenting issues of great value. In the course of what is often a genuinely funny publication, she manages to cover in some depth issues around diagnosis, educational matters, therapies and interventions, health and safety and risk, sibling issues, and changes from childhood to adolescence. Extremely valuable. -- Care & Health MagazineThe writing style is lively and humorous and the author manages to be informative though not prescriptive. This book provides reassurance and practical support for parents who have children with the above needs. However, it also has relevance to those involved in therapeutic and educational settings as it provides a complete description of everyday life with all the riches and difficulties involved. -- Joan O'Rafferty, Occupational TherapistTable of ContentsAcknowledgements.1. Introduction. 2. Meet the Jacksons. 3. An Autism Cocktail. 4. Autism. 5. AD/HD. 6. Asperger Syndrome. 7. Family Fun. 8. Sibling Situations. 9. Adolescence. 10. Holidays: Coping with Change. 11. Put Safety First. 12. The Parents Survival Guide. 13. A Conclusion to the Chaos. Appendices. Further information. Websites. Further Reading. References.

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Book SynopsisBest-selling suspense author Mary Higgins Clark invites you on a tour of Manhattan's most iconic neighborhoods in this anthology of all-new stories from Mystery Writers of America, produced to commemorate its 70th anniversary. In Lee Child's The Picture of the Lonely Diner, legendary drifter Jack Reacher interrupts a curious stand-off in the shadow of the Flatiron Building. In Jeffery Deaver's The Baker of Bleecker Street, an Italian immigrant becomes ensnared in WWII espionage. And in The Five-Dollar Dress, Mary Higgins Clark unearths the contents of a mysterious hope chest found in an apartment on Union Square. With additional stories from T. Jefferson Parker, S. J. Rozan, Nancy Pickard, Ben H. Winters, Brendan DuBois, Persia Walker, Jon L. Breen, N. J. Ayres, Angela Zeman, Thomas H. Cook, Judith Kelman, Margaret Maron, Justin Scott, and Julie Hyzy, Manhattan Mayhem is teeming with red herrings, likely suspects, and thoroughly satisfying mysteries. Illustrated with iconic photography of New York City and packaged in a handsome hardcover, Manhattan Mayhem is a delightful read for armchair detectives and armchair travelers alike!Trade Review“Looking to take a literary vacation? Head to Manhattan with Manhattan Mayhem.” —Creative Loafing“MWA Grand Master Clark has assembled an impressive roster of talent for this strong anthology . . . The MWA has once again produced an anthology that’s a must for every mystery fan.”—Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisBook five in the hilarious and action-packed Total Mayhem series from New York Times bestselling author Ralph Lazar, starring Dash Candoo, an ingenious problem-solver, with fantastic friends and a bottomless backpack of brilliant gadgets.

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Book SynopsisFilled with messy, complicated characters, We Are Mayhem is a debut YA novel about finding your strength, embracing your weird, and being who you truly are - no matter what.When Birdie's parents move the family from their gated New Jersey community to the Catskills, Birdie thinks life as she knows it is once againjust like it was when she quit gymnasticscompletely over. But when Birdie's friends ditch her during a dare gone wrong, she finds herself staring down the barrel of a shotgun wielded by Mad Mabel the Mother of Mayhem, and Birdie strikes a deal with Mabel to work off her crime.Abigail Rose, Mabel's granddaughter, is convinced that Birdiewhose big, strong arms have always felt like the bane of her existence is destined to help pull her family's male-dominated indie wrestling promotion in a more feminist direction. With no way to return to or escape her past and no clear course into her future, Birdie has to find a way to somehow make

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Book SynopsisFrom the Number One bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes. Delve into a gaslit London, where Jack the Ripper is making headlines, but another, much more dangerous, madman is on the loose. When a rotting torso is discovered in the vault of New Scotland Yard, it doesn't take Dr Thomas Bond, Police Surgeon, long to realise that there is a second killer at work in the city where, only a few days before, Jack the Ripper brutally murdered two women in one night. This is the hand of a colder killer, one who lacks Jack's emotion. As more headless and limbless torsos find their way into the Thames Dr Bond becomes obsessed with finding the killer. As his investigations lead him into an unholy alliance, he starts to wonderIs it a man who has brought mayhem to the streets of London, or a monster?'A compulsively readable story that starts as a conventional murder mystery and morphs, by degrees, into a horrifying supernatural thriller' Guardian.Trade ReviewA compulsively readable story that starts as a conventional murder mystery and morphs, by degrees, into a horrifying supernatural thriller * Guardian *A huge amount of horrible fun * Big Issue *In this chilling exploration of madness and evil, Pinborough excels at summoning up the bleak spirit of Victorian London's mean streets and those forced to fight for survival there * Publisher's Weekly *The grim atmosphere of fear and spiritual malaise afflicting London is evoked well * SFX Magazine *A taut historical crime/horror that grasps you from the first page and holds you inexorably. If you enjoy John Connolly's blend of the supernatural and crime, then don't miss this! * Sci-Fi Bulletin *This is deliciously inventive stuff, delivered with the narrative nous and sense of atmosphere that lifts Mayhem above the raft of many similar novels * Crime Time *The supernatural element adds atmosphere in the way Conan Doyle used the spectral beast in The Hound of the Baskervilles. A novel, by the way, in whose company this excellent book belongs * Crime Fiction Lovers *Fantastic without caveat . . . wholly absorbing Victorian horror with just enough of the ordinary about it to set the extraordinary off * Tor.com *A very well-crafted chiller ... Pinborough successfully manoeuvres her story away from well-worn territory for a highly entertaining blend of crime procedural and Gothic horror * SciFi Now *A bloody cracking thriller that sucks you in and spits you back out! * So Many Books, So Little Time *A brilliant supernatural horror novel, served by a sense of delicacy and understatement. Her handling of the period is superb * Spooky Reads *When writing a murder mystery/thriller, there is a fine line that one has to tread. Fortunately, Mayhem treads that fine line well * Starburst *With breathless pacing, sinister suspense, and plenty of shocking twists, this is a perfect read for historical fiction and true-crime fans * Off the Shelf *Bloody brilliant! * Stephen king on Behind Her Eyes *

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Book SynopsisFilled with messy, complicated characters, We Are Mayhem is a debut YA novel about finding your strength, embracing your weird, and being who you truly are-no matter what.When Birdie's parents move the family from their gated New Jersey community to the Catskills, Birdie thinks life as she knows it is once again-just like it was when she quit gymnastics-completely over. But when Birdie's friends ditch her during a dare gone wrong, she finds herself staring down the barrel of a shotgun wielded by Mad Mabel the Mother of Mayhem, and Birdie strikes a deal with Mabel to work off her crime.Abigail Rose, Mabel's granddaughter, is convinced that Birdie-whose big, strong arms have always felt like the bane of her existence-is destined to help pull her family's male-dominated indie wrestling promotion in a more feminist direction. With no way to return to or escape her past and no clear course into her future, Birdie has to find a way to somehow make

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Book Synopsis''Captures the confusion, black humour, raw courage and sheer exhilaration of combat brilliantly'' THE TIMES''Read this account of his stint with the 26-man strong X Platoon in the sweltering jungle, living on grubs, outnumbered 80 to one, battling heavily armed rebels with bamboo sticks and home-made grenades, and you''ll be asking the question... Why wasn''t he given TWO MCs?'' SUNDAY SPORT2,000 blood-crazed rebels. 26 elite British soldiers. One man''s explosive true story.Airlifted into the heart of the Sierra Leone jungle in the midst of the bloody civil war in 2000, 26 elite operators from the secret British elite unit X Platoon were sent into combat against thousands of Sierra Leonean rebels.Notorious for their brutality, the rebels were manned with captured UN armour, machine-guns and grenade-launchers, while the men of X Platoon were kitted with pitiful supplies of ammunition, malfunctioning rifles, and no body armour, grenades Trade ReviewSergeant Steve Heaney captures the confusion, black humour, raw courage and sheer exhilaration of combat brilliantly. This book is one of the best accounts of low-level tactical soldiering since Fred Majdalany's WW2 classic Patrol. But Heaney tells a broader tale that has rarely been captured so well... I commend it to the professional soldier and layman alike. * THE TIMES *'... read this account of his [Steve Heaney] stint with the 26-man strong X Platoon in the sweltering jungle, living on grubs, outnumbered 80 to one, battling heavily armed rebels with bamboo sticks and home-made grenades, and you'll be asking the question... Why wasn't he given TWO MCs?' -- Jon Wise * Sunday Sport *

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Book SynopsisMia plays a superhero in a school play in this eighth adventure of the Mia Mayhem chapter book series!Mia finds out that her regular school will be putting on a play about superheroes! As soon as the casting call goes out, Mia’s sure that the main character role was made just for her. Because after all, who better to play the part than a real-life superhero? But when show day comes around and nerves are running high, will Mia be able to take the stage and be herself without revealing her super-secret? With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Mia Mayhem chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

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Book SynopsisA fascinating history of Memphis music, forty years in the making.

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Book SynopsisThe astonishing untold story of the SOE commando team dropped behind German lines in WWII.

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Book SynopsisMore than 100 recipes from the heavyweights of heavy metal.

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Book SynopsisThe monsters cannot sleep. They all want to be scary. Who is the scariest monster of all?

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Book SynopsisMany people say being a parent is the toughest job there is. John DeGarmo, foster and adoptive parent, tells us just how tough it can be, having parented over 40 children. At times he and his wife, Kelly, have cared for up to nine children at a time, many with severe trauma and learning difficulties. Love and Mayhem is an honest and open account of the struggles, sadness and joy that comes with the job of being a parent to a traumatized child. From the sleepless nights with babies withdrawing from drug-addiction, to the heartbreak when a child moves on to another home, and the loving chaos that comes with a large and blended family, John DeGarmo fights for the many children who have come through his home.Ideal for foster families, general readers, fostering agencies and social workers who are looking for a true to life memoir of what it really is to be a foster parent.Trade ReviewTruly inspiring- John and Kelly DeGarmo go to extraordinary lengths to love broken children into wholeness and to teach others how to do the same. -- Rhonda Sciortino, author of Succeed Because of What You've Been ThroughSo many emotions abound in this book: joy and sorrow, trust and fear, elation and anger, confidence and uncertainty, energy and exhaustion, confirmation and questioning.... all reflect an honest view of foster parenting. Foster parents will love this book as it confirms everything they experience that others do not understand. For others it provides a true picture of the life of a foster family. Kudos to John DeGarmo for this well-written, entertaining and honest book. -- Irene Clements, Foster Care Consultant and President, National Foster Parent Association, USAJohn DeGarmo has established himself as an expert on foster care and adoption, yet he calls foster parenting the hardest thing he's ever done. Any foster parent I've ever known or read about would whole-heartedly agree with DeGarmo's assessment. In Love and Mayhem: One Big Family's Uplifting Story of Fostering and Adoption, DeGarmo tells stories from the front lines, as his family has fostered dozens of children through the years. On one level, DeGarmo's experience might discourage potential foster parents from entering the fray. Foster parenting can be full of heartbreak. DeGarmo does not gloss over the pain and ugliness of fostering. Yet the love and healing that foster children can find in families like the DeGarmos' is crucial and undeniable. DeGarmo describes the rewards and satisfaction of fostering in spite of the pain. Would that more families followed the DeGarmos' example and took up the mantle of fostering in cities across the country. -- Paul Mastin, adoptive parentTable of ContentsContents, Acknowledgments, Preface, Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve, Chapter Thirteen, Chapter Fourteen, Chapter Fifteen.

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Book SynopsisThe thrilling conclusion to Christopher Healy's funny, action-packed, acclaimed alt-history adventure!It is 1884, and Molly and Cassandra Pepper, Emmett Lee, and Emmett’s long-lost father are sailing back to New York following their death-defying adventure in Antarctica.

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Book SynopsisBooks five through eight of the Mia Mayhem series are now available in one action-packed, superhero collection!Join Mia Mayhem on her awesome adventures as she learns to stop time, goes up against a mighty robot, uses her x-ray vision, and tries not to reveal her super-secret at regular school in this dynamic four-book collection! With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Mia Mayhem chapter books are perfect for emerging readers. This superhero boxed set includes: Mia Mayhem Stops Time! Mia Mayhem vs. the Mighty Robot Mia Mayhem Gets X-Ray Specs Mia Mayhem Steals the Show!

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Book SynopsisThe modern business climate demands a new risk management strategy Mastering Strategic Risk: A Framework for Leading and Transforming Organizations is a comprehensive guide to redesigning organizational systems to better manage the risks and complexities of the modern world.Table of ContentsPreface xiii Acknowledgments xv Introduction Mastering the Complexities of a New Age 1 Chapter 1 The Round World, the Square Pegs: Redesigning Organizations to Manage the Risks of a Different World 5 Righting the Ship: Managing the Complexities of a New Age 5 The Untold Story of Wachovia’s Demise: The Rise and Fall of an Industry Giant 7 A Symptom of a Much Larger Challenge 12 The Burning Platform: Why the Need for Change 14 Leveraging the Power of People 15 A World of Patterns: Does Nature Hold the Answers? 16 References 17 Chapter 2 The Three Elements: Creating, Facilitating, and Supporting Your Competitive Advantage 19 A Framework Taken from Nature 19 The Human Body as an Example 22 Ecosystems 25 The Three Elements and Our Marketplace 26 The Three Elements and the Auto Industry 31 The Three Elements and Organizations 32 The Creative Element in Organizations 34 Information Technology as an Example 36 Everything Old is New Again 36 Summary 38 Contents Questions 38 Note 39 References 39 Chapter 3 The Three Forces: Mastering Strategic Risk with Repetition, Balance, and Movement 41 Anticipating Change: Toyota 41 Three Forces that Dictate Performance in Systems 43 Movement and Change in Nature 44 Movement, Balance, and Repetition in Our Marketplace 48 Change, Balance, and Repetition in Organizations 51 The Three Elements and Forces and Our System of Government 54 The Federal Government Supports, Facilitates, and Creates: A Fractal View 57 The Federal Government and Oversight 58 A Holistic Approach 59 Summary 60 Questions 60 References 61 Chapter 4 Transforming the Corporate Agenda: Applying the New Learning to Master Strategic Risk 63 Aligning the Three Elements and Forces for Impactful Results 63 The Three Elements as Key Drivers of Organizational Performance 65 Creativity and Innovation through the Lens of Industry Leaders 67 Identifying Additional Centers of Creativity and Growth in the Most Unlikely of Places 71 Growth through Facilitative Functions and Capabilities 74 Growth through Supportive Functions and Capabilities 76 Repetition and Operational Excellence 78 Wachovia and Merger Integration 78 Managing Movement and Change 81 The Value of a Transformation and Change COE 81 The Importance of Measuring Key Controls and Activities 83 Assessing Key Drivers through the Universal Guide 85 Summary 88 Questions 89 References 89 Chapter 5 Risky Business: Why the Environment Should Matter to You 91 Our Self-Centered Interests 91 The Truth about Systems 94 Our Commercial Ecosystem 94 Driving Growth and Shareholder Value through Sustainability 98 Demystifying the Myth . . . What Really is a Corporation? 100 A Lesson on the Environment and Sustainability 101 Other Factors Driving Commerce 104 Improving Our Interaction with the Planet 105 Making the Case for the Environment 110 The Corporation and the Community 110 The Realities of Life Downstream 111 In the End, It’s About the Individual 112 Summary 113 Questions 114 References 114 Chapter 6 Governance, the Cornerstone of Risk: The True Role of Accountability in Organizational Systems 115 Governance in Natural Systems: The Human Brain as an Example 115 WorldCom and the Bernie Ebbers Story 117 Strategy and Governance 120 Complacency and Governance 123 The Role of Accountability in Systems 123 Accountability at Adulant Technologies 124 The Importance of Roles and Responsibilities 125 A Crisis of Corporate Culture: The Story of News Corp. 127 The Independent Board of Directors 130 Summary 132 Questions 133 Notes 133 Chapter 7 The Game Changer: Stewardship—Taming the Land Grabbers, Passive Aggressors, and the Mighty Ogre 135 The Coup d’État 135 It’s Time for Change 137 A Profile in Leadership 144 Summary 151 Questions 152 References 152 Chapter 8 The Risks of Human Capital: Unleashing the Conceivers, Deal Makers, and Sustainers 153 A New Human Resources Model 153 The Internet Example 164 A New Model for Evaluating Teams 165 The Diversity Trap 169 The Three Forces and the New HR Model 170 Summary 173 Questions 174 Chapter 9 Waking Sleeping Giants: The Importance of Empowering Employees 175 The Empowered Employee: The Key to Driving Peak Performance 175 Citrix Systems Inc.: Cultivating a Culture of Empowerment 178 Adapting to a Mobile Workforce 180 Employee Engagement and Its Linkage to Empowerment 181 A Professional Development Journey 183 Reinvention and the Individual 185 The Learning Organization’s Connection to Movement and Change 186 The Importance of Infusing New Blood into Your Organization 189 Employees Driving Shareholder Value 190 Tapping Employee Resources to Enhance Value 191 Do They Have a Dog in the Fight? Engagement through Creating a Compelling Vision 192 Seizing the Opportunity at Hand: A Message to Employees 196 Summary 198 Questions 199 References 199 Chapter 10 The Shining Moment: Unlocking the Potential and Promise of the Twenty-First Century 201 Henry Ford: Riding the Wave of Converging Forces 201 Our World Then and Our World Now 203 The Call for Transformation 204 Mastering Change Matters More Now than Ever Before 205 Enhanced Capabilities Driving Change 207 Human Beings: Our Greatest Natural Resource 208 Man’s Coming of Age 210 What Will Be Our Lasting Legacy? 213 The Way of the World: Revisiting the Core Elements and Forces 215 The Emerging Steward: Why Organizations Must Lead from the Edge 217 The Masters of Our Fate 218 Summary 220 References 221 About the Author 223 About the Companion Web Site 225 Index 227

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Book SynopsisOpen the MAGIC face paints and adventure awaits… Fairytale world or Monster Ball Which one will you choose? In each a race to find the prize, Will you win or lose? Austin, Alanna and sausage dog Ozzy are going to a Monster Ball! With the help of a magic paintbrush, Austin has been transformed into a werewolf, and Alanna is a vampire. Their mission is to find a crystal ball, but when a pair of evil skeletons steal a witch’s wand, mayhem ensues on the dance floor. Will Austin and Alanna take back the wand and complete their mission before their time in the monster world runs out? The third adventure in the Magic Faces series, Heroes of the Pirate Ship and Superhero Mega Mission are also available.

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Book SynopsisOmar is on holiday in Egypt with his dads! Along the way he makes friends with an unusual character

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Book SynopsisEnthralling children''s fiction for everyone who loves Robin Steven''s Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries and Frances Hardinge''s The Lie Tree.Twelve mysteries.Twelve authors.One challenge: can YOU solve the crimes before the heroes of the stories?These are twelve brand-new short stories from twelve of the best children''s crime writers writing today.These creepy, hilarious, brain-boggling, heart-pounding mysteries feature daring, brilliant young detectives, and this anthology is a must for fans of crime fiction and detection, especially the Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries, The Roman Mysteries and The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow.The Crime Club are twelve UK-based authors who are mad about crime fiction. Clementine Beauvais, Elen Caldecott, Susie Day, Julia Golding, Frances Hardinge, Caroline Lawrence, Helen Moss, Sally Nicholls, Kate Pankhurst, Robin Stevens, Harriet Whitehorn and Katherine Woodfine can be found anywhere there is a mystery to be solved, a puzzle to be cracked or a Trade ReviewI can't pick a favourite of the twelve because they were all so different and gripping; all I can say to all you other young sleuths out there is track down a copy of this book and read it. 5 stars out of 5 in my opinion. -- BookieCookie Guardian Children's Books The variety contained in these pages is breath-taking. There are poisonings, dog-nappings and a good number of crimes that seem, at first glance, simply impossible to commit. You'll be whisked from contemporary Britain to the eighteenth century and to Victorian London. You'll find yourself in theatres, grand country houses and the American suburbs, and you'll discover enigmas and puzzles concerning pearls, pineapples, poisons and poodles (to employ just one letter of the alphabet). All the clues are there on the page, there's no cheating or actually-I-never-told-you-but, so you can set to and get to the solution before Emily, Minnie, Marcel and co, or you can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. You'll laugh, you'll gasp with shock, you'll admire their cleverness (and your own!) and you'll occasionally grind your teeth as adults step in at the last minute and take all the credit. But most of all you'll have lots and lots of fun. -- Linda Lawlor The Bookbag

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Book Synopsis‘Deliciously silly, with hilarious catchphrases… a great cheer-up book’ The Guardian ‘HILARIOUS! Proper laughs!’ Pamela Butchart _______________ A laugh-out-loud young fiction series from bestselling author Joanna Nadin, perfect for fans of Horrid Henry. Head teacher Mrs Bottomley-Blunt thinks 4B is the WORST CLASS IN THE WORLD. She says school is not about footling or fiddle-faddling or FUN. It is about LEARNING and it is high time 4B tried harder to EXCEL at it. But best friends Stanley and Manjit didn’t LITERALLY mean to get covered in newt pond water just before the Class Photo. And they really didn’t LITERALLY mean to cause TOTAL MAYHEM by trying to get fake teeth to the very best tooth fairy. These things just happened, even though they had FOOLPROOF plans to get away with it all. Highly illustrated and featuring two hilarious madcap adventures in one book, these stories are just right for children ready for their first chapter books.Trade ReviewHILARIOUS! Proper laughs! * Pamela Butchart on THE WORST CLASS IN THE WORLD *Deliciously silly, with hilarious catchphrases, Joanna Nadin’s The Worst Class in the World, illustrated with grubby glee by Rikin Parekh, is a great cheer-up book * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisCreate Better Compositions by Design The path to better painting begins with Mastering Composition. This effective guide blends clear, visual instruction with 5 step-by-step demonstrations to show you how to plan and paint your best work yet. Composition is the key, and here you'll learn to design paintings with new skill and confidence. It all begins with the armature or structure of the picture plane. Every great painting has one, and you'll see through several famous examples exactly how the Old Masters used armatures to create movement, narrative, harmony and fluidity. Based on these examples, you'll practice what you've learned following a series of hands-on demonstrations. Once you understand the basic principles of design, you'll be amazed at how quickly and effectively your compositions come together. Soon you will be painting more boldly and confidently than ever before with less reworking and overworking. Whether you're a beginner looking for basic instruction or a more advanced painter troubleshooting a specific problem, the proven methods in this book will work for you. Ideal for all mediums, Mastering Composition gives you the knowledge you need to create powerful paintings out of every subject.

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